Jerome Playground South

This park takes its name from adjacent Jerome Avenue. The avenue bears the name of Leonard W. Jerome (1817-1891), a prominent and wealthy citizen of New York City who created the Jerome Park Racetrack on land that he had purchased in the present-day Bronx. He was a successful stock speculator, making and losing several fortunes and earning the nickname “King of Wall Street” in the process. He was also a principal owner of The New York Times for several years, founder of the American Academy of Music, and maternal grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.